This word describes the type of love found in family relationships. While married couples aren’t able to truly return to the honeymoon phase, keeping that intimate flame alight will strengthen your bond as a couple immensely. This type of love is an especially relevant reminder to those couples who have let passion and intimacy die down over time. Lust is not love in any way- it’s the equivalent to ‘wanting a woman’, while eros is equivalent to wanting just one woman in particular. Though some might mistakenly put lust into the same category as eros, they’re not the same things.

The best phrase in English to equal eros is “being in love,” and it’s probably the first type of love that comes to mind when you think of your spouse. Relationships with eros contain passion and intimacy. This word describes the type of love found in romantic relationships (think “erotic”). So choose to be friends among other things with your spouse, and make an effort to have philia for each other. Though we’re not as predisposed to have philia, there’s no doubt it’s presence between spouses makes marriage so much better. In other words, we’re not hardwired biologically or instinctively to seek friendships. Lewis describes this love as “the least natural of loves,” because the human race by no means needs friendly relationships to survive. Friends feel great affection for each other and support each other in goals and decisions big and small.Ĭ.S. When you’re not just their spouse but also their friend, marriage is much more full of fun and laughter. This type of love is SO important in marriages- you should be each other’s best friends and treat each other as equal partners. In relationships with philia, affection and support abounds, as well as a sense of equality. This word describes the type of love found in strong friendships. Compartmentalizing love into different categories will help you to examine yourself and determine if you’re showing your sweetheart enough love. They all have a beautiful description of different kinds of love, and understanding each is a sure way to help spouses improve their relationships. The Greek language distinguishes four different kinds of love: Philia, Eros, Storge and Agape. But many other languages have several different words for love, and they all mean something a little different. In English, there’s pretty much just one word for love.

4 types of love cs lewis